PRESS ARCHIVE

MINGERING PRESS

BIDOUN

"Mingering Mike Superstar" by Sukhdev Sandhu

 

For a long time, Mingering Mike was one of the greatest musicians no one had ever heard of. Based in Washington, DC, he released a hundred or so singles and albums between 1968 and 1976. The sleeve of his first record, recorded under a pseudonym, bore a testimonial from comedian Jack Benny: "GS Stevens is a bright and intelligent young man with a great, exciting future waiting him." It added, with mysteriously erratic spelling, "But I hope he can make it in show biss so he can pay me for this fine, outstanding introduction if I do say so myself."

His output over the following years was phenomenal. He established more than thirty labels, with names like Ramit, Puppy Dogg, Mother Goose, Sex, and Fake, and recorded as Mingering Mike, Mingering Mike & The Vangoes, and The Mingering Mike Singers & Orchestra. Many of his tracks feature long-time collaborator The Big D. His range was extraordinary, covering everything from funky soul and protest ballads to blaxploitation soundtracks, Bruce Lee tribute albums, and comedy platters (In My Corner by Rambling Ralph includes the unforgettable cuts "Sometimes I Get So Hungry I Can Eat a Light Bulb, Or My Chair, Or Even My Hair" and "You Don't Have To Wake Me, The Aroma Will Do That")...